No. 61.
Mr. Partridge to Mr. Fish.
Rio de Janeiro, November 20, 1874. (Received Dec. 24.)
Sir: The conflict (questião religiosa) between the civil power and the ecclesiastical party has now come into a new phase.
[Page 98]The bishops of Olinda and Pará are still undergoing their nominal imprisonment, yet, through their vicars-general, govern their dioceses, and exhort the faithful, politically as well as spiritually, by private letters, which are immediately published in the newspapers. The administration has allowed this to go on quietly, and has now addressed positive orders to the presidents of the provinces (Pará and Pernambuco) to require the vicars-general to recall or withdraw the episcopal interdicts (the issue of which caused the bishops’ trials) against the fraternities which admitted to membership those belonging to the Masonic order. This withdrawal is to take place within eight days thereafter, under penalty of the said vicars-general being held (as the bishops were) to answer criminally for infraction of the law. The clergy of those two dioceses have met, and, after protesting in the regular ecclesiastical way, “against the audacious act of violence,” they declare loudly and clearly (alto bomsom) “that, notwithstanding this attack upon the independence and autonomy of the church,” they will not stain their hands with apostacy by disrespecting the interdicts and orders of suspension canonically imposed &c. To this they add, that, in the instrument by which powers to govern ad interim were conferred by the imprisoned bishop or their vicars-general, there was an express reservation and public withholding of any power to suspend, relieve, recall, withdraw, or annul in any way those interdicts and suspensions, so that they could not if they would, after having first said that they would not if they could. The bishops, “foreseeing” (as they state) the violence which would be offered, had taken the precaution to name a long list of ecclesiastics who, each in his turn as named, on the violent ejection or removal by the civil power of the vicar-general, should succeed to this office; and, in fact, the list is long enough to give the ministry occupation for a long time in punishing the refusals in order, as the respective vicars succeed. But, from present appearances, the ministerial party are going on, and are determined to carry it through. It is to be hoped that their courage may not fail, neither by reason of the long list of those who are thus declared ready to become martyrs, nor by any political move of the ecclesiastical party.
This last now by its journals calls upon all true Brazilians, true sons of the Empire of the Southern Cross, to unite, and, by political organization, beat down the ministry of the 7th March, which is, by its violence and illegal measures, not only imprisoning bishops, but endeavoring to subvert the religion of the state, &c.
As the parties (ministerial and opposition) are very nearly balanced in the chamber of deputies, it is not at all impossible for the ecclesiastical party to exert some power there; and it might occur, even, that their aid to other interests in opposition should be able to defeat the ministry. But this last no doubt counts on the feeling which has lately manifested itself very unmistakably in opposition to ultramontane pretension and dictation. It will be interesting to note the results of all this, and to see whether Brazil is going still forward in these matters, or whether, just at this moment, the pendulum which regulates all progress must have another swing backward for the moment, only to come up higher on the other side at the next movement that is sure to follow.
I am, &c.,